Thirty years is a long time. That’s 15,768,000 minutes.
In a world that seems to change by the minute, there was one constant that people could count on in Rock County: Steve Wiertzema coaching the Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team.
After serving as the head coach for 30 years, Wiertzema is turning in his clipboard to retire from coaching.
“His passion for the game and love for the game was something else,” said Dylan Gehrke, a former H-BC basketball player and current boys’ basketball assistant coach. “He truly loved his players and being there for them.”
During those three decades on the bench, Wiertzema racked up countless victories. He guided his teams through the section tournament, where they endured heartbreaking losses and celebrated thrilling victories.
The total wins can be tallied and counted to show just how much of an impact he had on building a successful program at H-BC.
What can’t be put into numbers is the lives he impacted during his time as the head coach.
“He’s caring,” said Kale Wiertzema, current H-BC girls’ basketball coach and son of Steve Wiertzema. “His athletes know that he wants what’s best for them.”
Kale played for his dad from 2001 to 2005. The younger Wiertzema said that his dad helped pave the road for him to become a head basketball coach.
“It was amazing,” Wiertzema said. “He taught me everything I know about the game of basketball. The game of basketball has given me many opportunities. I know I wouldn't have been the player or coach I am without playing for him.”
Gehrke played for coach Wiertzema from 2010 to 2014. He just finished his first year as the head coach of the H-BC volleyball program and has assisted Wiertzema on the boys’ coaching staff for four years.
“Growing up, my time at H-BC was awesome,” Gehrke said. “Mr. Wiertzema was a big influence on why I wanted to become a coach.”
A coach doesn’t keep a job for 30 years by accident.
Wiertzema always had his team playing its best basketball at the end of the season. When the Patriots got into the section tournament, Wiertzema was like a mad scientist drawing up game plans to slow down the opponent.
“He’s a great game manager,” Wiertzema said. “Especially when he gets into the postseason or in close games. He does a nice job of managing close game situations in the tournament.”
Gehrke noted that one thing he always heard during his time as a player and now as an assistant is that no team wanted to face H-BC in the section tournament due to Wiertzema’s ability to adjust a game plan on the fly during competition.
“He was always about the team,” Kale Wiertzema said.
“It was always about hard work. We didn’t always have the most talent, but we were going to go out there and give it our all. We were going to scrape and claw. We beat teams that we shouldn't have been close to beating.”
He recalled one year as eighth seed playing No. 1 Southwest Minnesota Christian.
“We had them on the ropes with two minutes left,” he said. “We ended up losing by three. They got second in state that year, and the year after, they won the state tournament. He always had us prepared for the section tournament. He always had us prepared.”
Wiertzema’s game success was due in part to watching film to help his team be prepared for their opponents. That’s one thing that Gehrke has tried to emulate with his own coaching style.
“The preparedness is one thing I take away from him,” Gehrke said. “When that tournament rolled around, he always had a good game plan. That preparedness is something I really pride myself on. The film watching is something I really like to do and break things down. I think he does a great job of that. He’s an encourager. He truly loved his players. He’ll still talk to you outside of school and see how you’re doing.”
A father and son are most likely naturally going to have the same quirks and traits. That’s evident by the way both Wiertzemas talk and move during the middle of a basketball game.
“Our mannerisms are probably pretty similar,” Kale Wiertzema said. “He’s a bit louder than I am. So that sticks out.”
Gehrke echoed Wiertzema’s thoughts about how loud his dad could be on the bench. However, Gehrke noted that he had dialed it back over the years.
“He’d get after you,” Gehrke said. “He’s a players’ coach, but he wouldn’t be afraid to get after you. He’s gotten a lot softer over the years. We give him crap because of that. He coached my mom when she was in high school and she said he was just relentless. He gave it to you. He always said, ‘If I'm not getting after you, that means I’m not noticing you.’ That’s something that I tell the athletes I coach now.”
When the 2021-22 basketball season kicks off, there will be a different feel inside the H-BC gym when the Patriots open their season.
“That’s going to be different,” Wiertzema said. “I’m going to miss it. These past few years my brother and I were trying to go to as many games as possible, especially tournament games. We never knew which one was going to be the last. It’s been a huge part of our lives. It’s definitely going to be different. Playing for him was great, but coaching alongside him these past few years has been a blast. It’s going to be different, that’s for sure.”
Wiertzema may not be sitting in the captain’s chair when the 2021 season tips off, but his handprints and presence will be felt within the program for years to come.
That’s due to the impact that he had on countless people he encountered during his time as the head coach at H-BC. It’s the kind of impact that goes beyond the win, loss column.
“It’s going to be different,” Gehrke said. “He’s been doing it for 40-some years when you count in his time as the girls’ coach. It’s going to be different. He’s given us all the tools we need to take the program to the next level and continue to grow it.”